Improvement in apparatus for distributing and feeding powdered fue-lto furnaces



NTTEE eTETEs PETEET @EEETE THOMAS RUSSELL CRAMITON, OF XVESTMINSTER, LONDON, GREAT BRXTAEN.

lMPROVlEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR DlSTRlBUTiNG AND FElDlNG POWDERED FUEL T0 FUHNACES.

Specification forming pui-t of Letters Potent No. lllllddatcd February 7, 1871.

To all whom 4it muy concern r Be it known that I, THOMAS ItUssELL CRAMPTON, of Vestminster, London, in the county of Middlesex, in the Kingdom of Greet Brit-ain, have invented a new and usei'ul Apparatus for Distributing und Feeding Powdered Fuel to Furnaces; und I do hereby declare that the following` a full, clear, and exactdescription of the seme, which will enuble those skilled in the nrt to which my in- 4vention uppertuins to construct and use the same.4 l

In apatent bearing even 'date herewith I have described and represented an apparatus In this wuy l continuously circulate the' surplus fuel over the feeding-rollers; and, in carrying out this object, I use two hoppers, one of which serves to supply the feedingrollers, while the. other receives surplus fuel passing from the feeders, und vice versa, thus alternately using the hoppers es delivering and collecting lioppers to supply one or more feeding and conducting apparatus for one or more furnaces from a single conveyor which unites the two hoppers.

My present :improvements also relate to supplying to each furnace a uniform degree of pressure without regard'to'any diii'erence of pressure in the main Apipe supplying'the several furnaces, caused either by disconnecting one or more furnaces, the duet-nations of the blower, or other causes, the minimum pressure' in the main pipe being always equal to the pressure required at the furnace. Moreover, u when all the furnaces are ut work there are`- still causes which make it impossible to supply a uniform pressure to several branches, us itis found that a. number of branch pipes supplied with air from one main at any considerA able velocity'and pressure have n greater or lesser diierence of pressure from each other and from the main pipe, according to the position and nature of the connections and bends inthe branches.

To counteract the bad effects resulting from the irregularity of pressure, I employ a regulator, interposed between the mein supiilypipe and the air-nozzles, so adjusted as to meint-ain a uniform pressure of any desired de grec'. By this means I am enabled t work several furnaces with the suine or different uniform pressures.

The degree and uniformity of the severe. pressures are not influenced by an y chungo of pressure in the main supply-pipe so long as the minimum pressure is equal to the press ure required.

It is found that when two or more furnaces are supplied with4 air from one und the saine main, and the supply of airis equal to the requirement-s of all the furnaces, if such supply of air from one or'more furnaces should be stopped oi, then there would be ucorresponding excess in the remaining farne-ces.

As it is essentiel to perfect combustion to meint-ain a uniform supply of nir to the furnaceand as my invention accomplishes this thing, the regulator is, therefore, an important feature in the new combination in which it is used. l

The accompanying drawing represents a vertical longitudinal section of un apparatus adapted for feeding powdered fuel'to furnaces embracing my invention, and in which the fuel-hoppers A A are shown as being errun ged near the ends of a conveyingtrough, B, with which the hoppers communicate.

The hoppers are constructed, by preference, with vertical sides, and are provided with stirrcrs C, of any suitable construction, and so arranged at the bottom that the whole aree of the fuel contained in each hopper is' dis' turbed by their action. The working of these stirrers forces the fuel from the hopper through. an opening, o, at its side into the conveying- 'troughl Lhe opeuin u c in the hoppers are fitted with slide-doors I) b', by which they1 may be closed and opened, es will bejhereinsite` more fully described.

The conveying-trough B is provided with-u .2 minore screw-conveyor or worm, D, so that the folds or vanes thereof shall revolve near the bottom of the trough. Openings care made inthe bottom ot the trough, and beneath each a suit-r able distance I arrange a pair of feeding-rollers, E and F, corresponding to the number ot' furnaces used, communication being had between the feci-lars and the conveying-trough hy means of shallow boxes d abutting on thc rollers so as to maintain au inclined position, and thus i'ormlimitod supply-chambers, which are licpt constantly tllcd. with powdered. fuel, in a position to be drawn regularly therefrom between said rollers. The lower ot these rollers, E, is provided with a funnel, (l, into which enter the receiving ends of the divid ing-pipes H2. lhese feeding-rollms, and their adjustment and relation lo the rec 'ving and dividing pipes H2, heling fully represented and dcscrihedin my patent aforesaid, need not he more particularly referred to here.

Now, it will be observed that one or the other ci' the hoppers is always supplying one end ot the screw-conveyer, and that as the latter is revolved the powdered incl is carried along over the openings ot' the limited supplychumbers d, and tilts them on a level 'with the bottoni of said trough, while the surplus is continued on to the opposite cud of the trough into a receptacle, c or c', at the. end thereof, troni whence it is delivered into the hopper Af, to be reeonveyed through the trough to supply the liedcrs, 'the surplus going into the same hopper from which it came by any suituhle means; or it may be lifted b v means of an elevator, or otherwise, into the hopper.

This recourt-,ying is et'l'ected by reversing the motion ot' the sorcw--convtu'er D, opening the outlet w' of.' the hopper A', and closing the opening t' the hopper A.. 'lfhesurpl'us fuel will pass baci; through the trough to the feeding-rollers 'into the reciptaclcs lf, andbe elevated into thc hopper t'rom which it was first fed.

In, the example shon'mthesc elevators consist oi' endless bands o" buckets .H H', passing around pulleys l arranged within the receptacles e and c at each end ot' the trough, and pulleys and l?, supported just above the top ot the hoppcrs, so as to cause said bands ot l buckets to incline toward the hoppcrs, so that -ing a constant supply to the mechanism of a number otfurnaces at the same time and by the same device.

The serewconvcyer, feeding rollers, and clevating devices muy bc actuated by any wellknown means, arranged iu any desired manner, and according to the position oi' the whole apparatus; but as such means for communicating motion from one device to another are` clearly within the skill of the artisan, the representation of the con nections which each part should have of themselves or with each other is deemed unnecessary.

The screw-conveyer may be driven at the required speed, and its motion reversed when necessary, by any suitable means.

rllhe openings c in the trough may be provided with slides f, by which they may be' closed or regulated, as desired.

The hopper A is supplied direct from the grinling apparatus or from the store of fuel, in any suitable way.

1t should be observed that although the drawing shows one line of screw and feedrollers, it is evident that furnaces requiringfecding, which are not in the line, can he supplied from lateral. screws supplied from lthe main screw; and in some cases the' fuel may beiso conveyed from one supply-hopper passing out ot' thc straight line and carried by divergngr pipe K, and from the latter the branch pipes- L lead to and connect with the supply-chambers M ot' the air-nozzles. Upon these branch pipes L the regulators are arranged, so that the air passing through said pipes must pass 'throughsaid regulators and have its pressure governed thereby. These regulators may be of any suitable construction; but l prefer to use a well-known kind, consisting of a watercistern, N, in which is placed an invertedy cup, 0, inclosing the ends of the receiving and discharging pipes. .These pipes enter thecistern at the center of its bottom and extend up some distance above the water-line, The' receivingpipci heilig placed concentrically Within the exit-pipo Q so as to leave an annular space,, equal tothe area ofthe receiving-pipe.

The rop of the receiving-pipe l is partially covered by a iixed rim through the opening` n, in which is aniovablc cone, It, suspended from the top ot the inverted cup. The base of this cone'projects into the receiving-pipe, and is of greater diameter than the opening in the rim of said pipe.

From this construction of regulator it will be observed that, when the pressure is not m excess ot' that for which the cup is weighted,

the inverted cup O is thereby forced4 ward, and with it the me, until the opening-around the cone is sufficiently reduced to diminish the pressure in the cup until it equals the pressure of the weight upon the cup. p pointan equilibrium will be established, and the force ofthe air going into the furnace will not be in excess of the pressure intended,l

whatever may be the pressure in the supplypipe from the fan or blower. t

The pressure of air supplied to the furnace may be varied to any desired degree by changing the weights upon the top of the cup.

. The regulator is made iightby the ordinary Waiter-joint.

The branch pipes L may be provided with cutoii'\alves, if desired.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In an apparatus for feeding powdered fuel to furnaces, thecombiuation of the feedingrollers E and F with the trough B, screw-conveyer D, and the intermediate limited supply- "ranged, and operating so that while one hop- At uns described.

per is supplying the fuel to the feeding apparatus for one orl more furnaces the other will collect the fuel not taken from the conreyer by said feeders, and vice versa-,rl as described.

3. The pressure of a series of furnaces, regulated and controlled automatically, to the same or different uniform degrees for each furnace from oneand the same supply of air, as described.

4. I u combination with an apparatus for feeding several furnaces from one supply with powdered fuel and air, and a fan or blower, a regulator interposed between the furnace or furnaces and the blower, vas described.

5. In apparatus for feeding, regulating, di

vidin g, conduetin g, and discharging powdered fuel into furnaces, the ,combination of the suppl y-hoppers A A', the eonveyer D, the feedingrollers E F, the receiving and conducting pipes H2 and S with the brauch pipes L air-regulators, air-main, and blower, substantially as T. R. CRAMPTGN.

Witnesses:

T. HrLLns GRAMPTON,

12 Great George Street. Westminster.

THOMAS LLOYD,

12 Great George Street, lVestmnster, Loudon.' 

